


The Spit-Take

by RaeSone99



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 12:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2546774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeSone99/pseuds/RaeSone99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver goes to visit Felicity at her office and has a baffling conversation with Ray Palmer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Spit-Take

**Author's Note:**

> I own neither these characters nor the universe of Arrow.

      Oliver was excited. Today was the day he’d get to see Felicity at work in her office. She didn’t expect him until lunch but since he was in the neighborhood beating up thugs he thought he’d drop by. The elevator lights set a steady tempo towards the top and Oliver resisted the urge to feel whether or not the quickie stitching he’d done on his left eyebrow was holding up.

 One of the thugs had actually managed a solid two hits to his face. Of course that thug might not remember it tomorrow when he woke up in County but Oliver could certainly feel it now. His lip was just a little bit busted as well. When he’d been CEO he’d been almost obsessively concerned when he was hit in the face but now he was just a guy bringing a hard working woman her morning coffee. Oliver smiled at the thought and then winced as the skin on his lip pulled.

The elevator slowed down on the 40th floor, twenty away from Felicity’s and Oliver stepped to his right. The doors opened and to his ambivalence in walked Ray Palmer. Ray looked surprised but quickly recovered.

“Hello! Mind hitting…Oh I’ve see we’re headed to the same place.”

Oliver quashed the irritation he felt towards the man who was really doing him a favor by taking on Queen Consolidated. It was childish to hold a grudge against him. They rode in silence although Oliver could practically feel Palmer bouncing off the walls. More in an effort to be polite than anything else Oliver extended an olive branch.

“So, how’s QC coming along?”

Ray glanced at him, appearing pleasantly surprised at the question.

“It’s going really well. Some would say super well or swell,” Palmer chuckled at his joke and Oliver managed to passably curl his lips in the imitation of a smile. At least he hoped it was a smile.

“Our 4Q overcap investment management earnings return on the Troth accounts are up by 2%”

Ray beamed at Oliver expectantly and Oliver fought to look as though he understood or cared about at least some of what Ray said. Seeing Oliver’s blank expression Ray looked ahead,

 “Okay.”

Silence fell between them and they still had 13 more floors to go. Oliver sighed.

“Going to visit Ms. Smoak?” Ray tried.

Felicity. Yes he could talk about Felicity.

“Yeah, I’m actually headed up there to surprise her with some coffee.”

Ray raised his eyebrows and nodded in approval, “She’ll like that.”

For the first time Ray seemed to properly look at Oliver and what he saw made him frown. Oliver ignored him. There wasn’t much Palmer could say to get his attention unless it started with

“So I don’t know how else to say this so I’m just going to go ahead and say it. I know your secret.”

Felicity? ‘Nope,’ Oliver thought as he turned to square off against Ray Palmer ‘that would work too.’

Facing Ray head on Oliver frowned, “what do you mean?”

“You don’t have to pretend. Ms. Smoak told me and I have to be honest. It explains all of the limping and bruising.”

Oliver could feel tiny imaginary hammers striking his skull and he closed his eyes in order to grind out his denial.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ray scoffed, “Sure you don’t. But I can tell you right now Ms. Smoak is not happy about your afterschool activities.”

Okay, change of direction. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you two had a huge fight the other night and that that” he pointed at the cup in Oliver’s hand, “is probably apology coffee.” Oliver winced. They had had a fight. But he highly doubted Ray knew how strongly Felicity felt about him living in lair 2.0. She wanted him to find his own place. Something about making a healthy decision. He wanted her to stop leaving house ads on his bed pillow. Something about him being fine. Oliver was confident that there was no universe in which Felicity shared that argument with Ray but he decided to play along.

“She told you about that?”

“Yeah, and I gotta say I agree.” Ray gestured towards Oliver’s throbbing face, “Just look at what it’s doing to your body.”

Oliver shot Ray a glare which he ignored, “I don’t want to get in the middle of your lover’s quarrel but she’s your best friend, she cares about you. Maybe she’s right.”

Oliver’s frown deepened and he could feel the stitches about to give. Best friend? And just why were Ray and Felicity sharing so much information supposedly anyway? Didn't Ray have a company to run?

Still in concerned friend mode Ray faced him as the door chimed, “Maybe it’s time to consider stepping away for a while.” Ray stared at him with such sincerity that Oliver could only stare at him mutely. Ray seemed to take his silence as confirmation.

“Hey, I know you can’t talk about it but,” he clapped Oliver on the shoulder, “just consider it. I know a guy if you ever decide to go legit. He could probably give you some tips on dodging. Goes by the name Grant…”

Ray waited until Oliver nodded before stepping off of the elevator and walking off in the opposite direction of Felicity’s office.

“Tell Felicity I said hello,” floated over Ray’s shoulder as Oliver began to walk towards his former glass home. Oliver immediately decided that he disliked the way Ray spoke her name.

Glancing up Felicity saw him and a smile burst over her face. He could feel an answering one on his, which split his lip again but he ignored it too glad to see her.

She met him at a door and thanked him for the coffee with a hug. Oliver inhaled deeply, feeling whole. 

“You are my hero. You have no idea how much I needed this! Sometimes I think that man’s not human.”

Reluctantly releasing her from his hold he watched her walk away from him and settle down at her desk while he figured out how to ask his question. Finally he took a leaf out of Ray Palmer’s book and went for it.

“Felicity?”

“Hmm, yes Oliver?” she was frowning at her screen and taking a sip of her coffee.

“Why does Ray Palmer think I’m in a fight club?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I needed some fluff after "Opa's" haha Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!


End file.
